Meatloaf. I would be remiss if I wrote a recipe for meatloaf without the backstory of how meatloaf even made it to any dinner table of mine, let alone a birthday dinner. Suffice it to say, when I told my own sister what was on the menu for my son’s birthday dinner, she didn’t believe me.

Once upon a time, a six year old (maybe seven) didn’t want to finish the very lovely dinner of meatloaf her mother had cooked. Back in the day, one had to finish one’s dinner before one could be excused from the table. And so the girl sat at the dinner table for a very long time; long after the dishes were cleared and the rest of the family had vacated the kitchen. Long story short: meatloaf was ruined from that day forward from the indisputable result of trying to eat something that didn’t want to be eaten.

Fortunately, only 40+ years passed and the girl was able to finally eat meatloaf again, but only if she made it herself. Of course, this meant she had to test quite a lot of recipes to redeem meatloaf to dinner rotation status. Meatloaf became one of the favorite meals of her sons and it eventually made its way to the birthday dinner of youngest son, Conor.

Before I get to the recipe, I must herald a thing I love almost as much as my Nutri Bullet. Almost. It gets runner up to “best invention since sliced bread.” It is this rubber mat that cooks food evenly and absorbs the amount of grease and fat and I don’t even know its name. All I know is that my meatloaf was evenly cooked on the bottom and there was no greasy mess! Plus you just throw that thing in the dishwasher. It was at Bed, Bath, and Beyond if that helps. I know. I’m not very much help here, but onward and upward.

A word about the meat first. This is, after all, meatloaf, so you go big here. I normally only eat white meat, but I’ve found that the combination of meat makes for a moist, but not too dense meatloaf. Veal is pricey and I never buy it except for when I make this, so this is definitely a treat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the handy mat (if you have it) and place it on a cookie sheet. In a medium pan, sauté the mirepoix and crushed garlic in the coconut oil until the vegetables are soft. Set aside off heat.

In a large bowl, combine everything else. You will need to use your hands to make sure the meats, seasoning and bread crumbs are evenly distributed. It’s ok, you can wash them when your done. Don’t get OCD on me! Add the vegetables and combine well.

Form the meat into a loaf making sure the sides and top are flat and even. If you don’t have the handy mat, cover a wire rack with foil and punch holes in it. Place a drip pan underneath so the meat will cook evenly and drippings will drip into the pan. Bake one hour.

Take the meat loaf out of the oven and set to broil. Transfer to a 9×13 pan and pour the sauce (recipe following) over the topand sides. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn the pan and broil for an additional 5 minutes until the sauce is a nice glaze.